3 of our favorite messy moments from The Real Housewives of New Jersey

This one might be a little too obvious, but it’s been a while since Real Housewives of New Jersey was on our TVs and fighting it out.

I’m not actually going to rank these, because they are all totally bonkers.  The Real Housewives of New Jersey is known for their family issues, and with that, comes some insane messy moments.

A lot has changed in the franchise over the years, but what hasn’t changed is that this show is a family affair.  They love, they fight, they cook, they eat, and they fight some more.   

Prostitution Whore

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Season 1, Episode 10

This one is almost too obvious.  This is from the season one finale when this show and most of the housewife shows are still in their infancy.

Teresa Giudice feels disrespected at a dinner party she was throwing and proceeds to confront Danielle Staub about it.  “Pay attention, puh-leeze,” Danielle says. “You were stripping!  Prostitution whore! You were engaged 19 times!”  Danielle tries to defend herself about the accusations, but there is no defending yourself from Teresa.

There was a lot going on behind the scenes with this one, including Danielle accusing Caroline and Dina Manzo of showing people in a hair salon the book.  The book chronicles Danielle’s past, included in this is being engaged 19 times while being a strippin’ prostitution whore.

A lovely christening brawl

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Season 3, Episode 1

At this point in the franchise, Melissa Gorga is a newcomer to drama.  Everyone is dressed up in their finest outfits, sitting in a true Tuscan style monstrosity of an event hall, when Teresa decides this is the appropriate time to yell at her brother.  She walks up to the table to congratulate her brother and his wife on their son Joey’s christening.   To this, Joe Gorga replies by banging on the table with two fists like he is trying to swiftly take Jagerbomb shots, but alas, he is just thanking his sister for her thanks.

The camerawork here is 10/10, with flashes of crosses and small children in between the charging Jersey husbands.  Teresa loves to start a fire and walk away, which is exactly what she did here.   Teresa’s oldest daughter, Gia, is crying that she doesn’t want the family to fight, Audriana is an infant in a stroller abandoned in the madness.

The entire venue starts to fight, even once the Giudice / Gorga families are separated.  I’ve been to a few christening celebrations, but um, none as lovely as this one.  The bling and the feathers are in full effect here, the pièce de résistance of a lovely religious celebration.

Joe on Joe drama

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Season 5, Episode 7

The Real Housewives of New Jersey love a good family retreat.  On this particular event, things go sideways quickly.

Joe Gorga and Joe Giudice get into a fight after Teresa, his sister, asks Joe Gorga to take her side in an argument. Joe Gorga calls his sister scum, and Joe Giudice flips out.  He walks back inside and goes right for Joe Gorga.  They charge at each other like wild animals!  Melissa attempts to get the Joes apart, and Teresa just runs out the door.

The best part of this fight is the aftermath.  Joe Gorga’s spray on black hair gets rubbed off during the fight.  Joe takes off his shirt almost immediately after the fight, and almost everyone involved has some weird black smudges on their shirts.  I love it.

At this point, the bankruptcy and everything else in the Giudice family orbit is not so quietly falling around them.  Joe Giudice is trying to defend, well anything really, while trying to save face.  It doesn’t work, and that poor little meatball’s house of cards is still currently crumbling.

A common thread

Throughout the history of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, is the Giudice family.  There is no giant fight without some meddling from Teresa or Joe.  Does it make for excellent TV?  100%.  Is it exhausting?  Also 100%.

The next season is going to be even more interesting, with Joe Giudice facing deportation after serving time in prison.  No word on how that is going to play out yet, but we know The Real Housewives of New Jersey cameras have been rolling the entire time.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey is not back on Bravo yet, but it lives in our hearts until next season.